Food stresses me out!

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mamabear0222
mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So since I started this a month ago I've been actually LOOKING at the nutritional labels ..
Why is it things like a regular hamburger bun has the same calories as a "thintini" bun which is apparently created as a healthy alternative. Both have 170 calories. My hubby and I are both doing this and he is a huge foodie. He is of the mind if he's going to spend those calories on a bun, he might as well have something he enjoys, and I cant argue that logic.

Is this all a marketing gimmick?? What's your take on it?

Replies

  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Any food that makes health claims is immediately suspect in my book.

    Eat food closest to it's natural state and sod the calories is my way ... Low calories does not mean health, sometimes low calories means low nutrition too.

    Just avoid anything that needs to be marketed ... Meat, eggs, fish, veggies is the way :)
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    I agree .. but look at all the things out there such as "weight watchers" breads etc ...
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    So since I started this a month ago I've been actually LOOKING at the nutritional labels ..
    Why is it things like a regular hamburger bun has the same calories as a "thintini" bun which is apparently created as a healthy alternative. Both have 170 calories.

    ooops, hit save before typing... what I meant to say was... are there other differences? like is one processed white flour and the other whole grain? they might be basing the supposed healthierness (thats the official term lol) on something other than calorie count.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Is this all a marketing gimmick?? What's your take on it?

    Some of it is marketing gimmick, but there is more to health than just calories. White bread and whole grain bread may have the same calories, but the whole grain will likely have more fiber, protein and other nutrients.
  • notyouraveragetalia
    notyouraveragetalia Posts: 223 Member
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    Both have 170 calories.
    Is this all a marketing gimmick?? What's your take on it?

    What about the Fiber count between the two? Calories are king but theres something to be said about being fuller for longer...
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
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    Is this all a marketing gimmick?? What's your take on it?

    Some of it is marketing gimmick, but there is more to health than just calories. White bread and whole grain bread may have the same calories, but the whole grain will likely have more fiber, protein and other nutrients.

    Absolutley. You have look at the ingredients and compare them. Good luck to you and your hubby :smile:
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    Is this all a marketing gimmick?? What's your take on it?

    Some of it is marketing gimmick, but there is more to health than just calories. White bread and whole grain bread may have the same calories, but the whole grain will likely have more fiber, protein and other nutrients.

    It's both whole grain ... everything seems to be similar, I will take a closer look later for sure, I bought both lol
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    Any food that makes health claims is immediately suspect in my book.

    Eat food closest to it's natural state and sod the calories is my way ... Low calories does not mean health, sometimes low calories means low nutrition too.

    Just avoid anything that needs to be marketed ... Meat, eggs, fish, veggies is the way :)

    I agree (except I count calories). In the case of the hamburger buns I wouldn't go on just calories. I would look at the fiber and the ingredients. Go with whole grain with no high fructose corn syrup (or any other kind of sugar except perhaps honey) and that has a high fiber content.

    IMO it's not JUST about calories, it's about how good that food is for your body. Why do all that work to get skinny but still a sick body lacking in nutrients. :wink:
  • phiddy23
    phiddy23 Posts: 103
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    Read the carb count, sugar count and protein count and go for the option that has the lowest of the first two and highest of the third, as well as the highest in fibre. This will mean that your blood sugar is not peaked as much and you will be fuller for longer and less likely to crave sugar.

    But if you really take your diet seriously you should at least go for a brown / wholemeal bun, or substitute the bun with a wholemeal tortilla wrap or lettuce.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    a lot of things are marketing tricks. i go for what i like, and if there's a better, maybe not healthier per-say, but better alternative that i still like then i'll buy that
  • zombiemusicgirl
    zombiemusicgirl Posts: 98 Member
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    A lot of it is a marketing gimmick. It took me a long time to figure out that the things they say on the front sometimes tell a very different story on the back.

    As I overhaul the way I eat, I have also learned to read the ingredient list. If I can't pronounce something in it, or I don't know what it is, I try not to eat it. I'm not perfect, but I'm getting better. I also have banned what I've dubbed the 3 evil h's from my cabinets: Hydrogenated (or Partially hydrogenated) oils, High Fructose Corn Syrup (or now any mention of corn syrup) and Hydrolyzed Anything (also known as msg)

    Does this make my diet perfect? Absolutely not. But those are some of the highest processed ingredients out there. It has taken about 2 years, but I feel much better about it. This is what I have done, and everyone's path is different. Just sharing my thoughts.

    Make sure you are reading the entire label, not just the calorie content. You will come up with a system that works for you! It is always a bit hard in the beginning, but you will get there. Good for you for sharing!
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
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    Sure, some of it is marketing. It's not who makes it, whether it says "weight watchers" on it, "low fat" or otherwise, but the amount of calories. The formula for success is calories in vs. calories out no matter how complicated we like to make it.

    Now, can some of it be better for you? Sure. But I can almost guarantee that eating clean will beat anything out of a bag or box every time! For example, homemade grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli will beat McDonalds lol.

    I've been pretty much the same size my whole life and I've never specifically avoided any food. I do, however, watch my calories and run 2-3 times a week. If I find myself gaining I just run a little bit more! I also throw some weight lifting and circuit training in there. People always ask me how I stay the size I am and I always tell them I always find healthy choices no matter where I am...whether it be on vacation, wedding, family reunion or holiday...your body does not take a day off and neither should you.
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    I was comparing two loaves of bread one day, a gluten free bread for my hubby and son. I had gotten them the "white" bread before, and noticed that they now also had a "multigrain" option, so I put them side by side to compare the ingredients and see what good stuff had been added to the multigrain loaf and see if it was something that my boys would tolerate. And the verdict was . . .

    drum roll please . . .

    the "muligrain" loaf had beet powder to give it a darker colour.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I was comparing two loaves of bread one day, a gluten free bread for my hubby and son. I had gotten them the "white" bread before, and noticed that they now also had a "multigrain" option, so I put them side by side to compare the ingredients and see what good stuff had been added to the multigrain loaf and see if it was something that my boys would tolerate. And the verdict was . . .

    drum roll please . . .

    the "muligrain" loaf had beet powder to give it a darker colour.

    This IS a marketing ploy, and a common one. If it says multigrain no the front it is not necessarily a bad thing, but always check the ingredients to see if the grains are whole grains. Multiple processed grains are no better than one processed grain.


    "Mulitgrain" or "contains whole grains" don't always mean "whole grain". It's generally best to choose a bread product where the first ingredient is a whole grain.
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    Options
    I was comparing two loaves of bread one day, a gluten free bread for my hubby and son. I had gotten them the "white" bread before, and noticed that they now also had a "multigrain" option, so I put them side by side to compare the ingredients and see what good stuff had been added to the multigrain loaf and see if it was something that my boys would tolerate. And the verdict was . . .

    drum roll please . . .

    the "muligrain" loaf had beet powder to give it a darker colour.

    This IS a marketing ploy, and a common one. If it says multigrain no the front it is not necessarily a bad thing, but always check the ingredients to see if the grains are whole grains. Multiple processed grains are no better than one processed grain.


    "Mulitgrain" or "contains whole grains" don't always mean "whole grain". It's generally best to choose a bread product where the first ingredient is a whole grain.

    With a commercial gluten-free bread, you won't get all whole grain. Because there is no gluten to make it "lighter", they use cornstarch or other starches to make it light. Otherwise it's way too dense and heavy. If you're lucky, the first grain will be a whole grain.

    Which is why the boys only get one loaf a week. LOL.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    Any food that makes health claims is immediately suspect in my book.

    Eat food closest to it's natural state and sod the calories is my way ... Low calories does not mean health, sometimes low calories means low nutrition too.

    Just avoid anything that needs to be marketed ... Meat, eggs, fish, veggies is the way :)

    This :)

    It is a marketing ploy, and 'healthy' food often has weird things added to it.

    You could always try making your own bread/buns too :).

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